Project Mazzuki

[Loanranger]

Project Ramzuki

Well y'all know how it is. Once you start building, you can't stop with just one.

The newest creation will be another Suzuki, this time it's an 83? Suzuki SJ410. I picked it up from a buddy who had been storing it at my house, and the longer I looked at it, the more plans I had for it. This is still pre-samurai, but post LJ20 (Fordzuki). It was an open top, but somebody previously had grafted the front half of a tintop roof, windshield pillars and cowl from a tintop. The back is still open, but that will all change, along with getting doors for it. This will be my enclosed wheeler, for the really nasty stuff, and snow wheeling.

It was tucked away in a corner, so I pulled it out today.

The axles are stock, they're a little smaller (and narrower) than samurai axles. The front is just an empty housing, and the rear is in backwards because I lent him my old LJ springs for the rear, and because we were limited for time and tools, it had to go in spoa. Gave it that hotrod look too.

How's my pinion angle?

Basically, it's gonna be the same as last time (Fordzuki) tub and frame, and everything else from whatever I can find.

I found this on craigslist, it's a 97 mazda b2300, 5 speed, 2wd, extended cab.... it had been rolled aparently, then he drove it till (he said) the clutch started slipping. The engine is pretty much immaculate, the five speed, I think is a M50d, but I'll have to make sure. I drove it on the trailer with no problems.

This was meant to be a pic of the trans, but if anybody was wondering where the fuel filter is on one of these, it's right there.

Oil looked good

It's got right around 130,000 miles on it. First thing I did when I got it off the trailer was jump the little dip out in the field, then laid a nice set of 11's down the road in front of my house. This little injected 2.3 is gonna be a ripper with a couple transfercases behind it and the 5 speed. Couple steering D44s... That's all for now.

 

[BeaterMan]

sounds like it will be another bad ass rig when you done.

 

[Sunk]

Sweet, I'll be watching this thread....

 

[dogboy]

I think Mazzuki sounds alot better than Fordzuki.
Just take a buffer to the Mazda and it'll look good as new... You weren't joking when you said it was beat.
I'm looking forward to wheeling with this one too!

Now you can say "it's Mazzuki, not Yozuki"! That was cheesy, lol.

You are going to keep both rigs, right? Is your dad going to drive one while you drive the other, or is he going to continue to wheel his Ranger? I think letting your dad drive either would end badly, seeing how hard he romps on his Ranger, .

 

[86ford]

I think Mazzuki sounds alot better than Fordzuki.
Just take a buffer to the Mazda and it'll look good as new... You weren't joking when you said it was beat.
I'm looking forward to wheeling with this one too!

Now you can say "it's Mazzuki, not Yozuki"! That was cheesy, lol.

You are going to keep both rigs, right? Is your dad going to drive one while you drive the other, or is he going to continue to wheel his Ranger? I think letting your dad drive either would end badly, seeing how hard he romp on his Ranger, .

I may of found were my dad ran off too.....

86

 

[Loanranger]

I wasn't quite sure about Mazzuki as a name for it, but it's growing on me.

The plan, as of right now, cause it changes daily.. Is to build this one for form and function. Since I have a wheeler already, I can spend more time on the details on this one. The basics will be twin sami cases (6.5:1 in the rear case eventually), linked front and rear, probably coils f&r, but I may do 1/4 lip in the rear again, and dual steering dana 44s, the front from a 70s ramcharger, and the rear from a 90s dodge 1500.

I will be keeping both, when the SJ is done, I'll wheel it, and the LJ will come in for a rebuild of the engine and trans, unless I find a sweet deal on a 2.3T between now and then.

My dad will continue to wheel the ranger untill it dies a miserable death, then maybe I'll finally convince him to get a zook. Ford powered of course.

 

[Jim Oaks]

Take lots of clear photos...........

 

[doorgunner]

If you're thinking about going national with this, offer a set of street tires as an incentive & keep the MSRP below $5000---you'll be rich in a week

 

[AlwysBusted96]

If you're thinking about going national with this, offer a set of street tires as an incentive & keep the MSRP below $5000---you'll be rich in a week

Your builds always rock. Seeing how the first turned out I can't wait to see this one. Round two is always better than round one and round three (maybe... I dunno) is always better than round two.

 

[Loanranger]

Your builds always rock. Seeing how the first turned out I can't wait to see this one. Round two is always better than round one and round three (maybe... I dunno) is always better than round two.

Thanks, I try to build rigs that are different than all the cookie cutter jobs out there. The LJ was my first ground up build, so I was learning while building. Finding solutions and making parts work with eachother is something I enjoy. There's nothing like driving a creation you've put together out of parts that were never engineered to work together. That's why I build them, self satisfaction.

I agree that the SJ should turn out better than the last, this time I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

As for now, I'm still in the parts collecting phase, and I've got a few things to finish up on the LJ, but I should be dragging it in soon to pull the body off the frame, I'll post up pics and progress as it happens.

And doorgunner, if I did that, mine wouldn't be unique anymore.

 

[doorgunner]

Relax--It'll be Unique until you sell 999,999 vehikels--after That, it won't be unique

 

[Loanranger]

I finally got a chance to pull the SJ in and get tearing into it. Having the stinger on the front of the LJ sure makes these things easy. I had to move the trailer to get the SJ out, so I picked it up with the stinger, pulled it out of the way, then went back for the SJ, picked up the front end, and dragged it out and around, and backed it into the garage.

I got to work pulling the body off, kindof weird, it had body bolts towards the inside, right by the seatbelt bolts.

Hooked up the engine leveler to the seatbelt bolts, and the front inner seat bolts, just like the LJ.

Just some random pics of the SJ, before I pulled the body.

Moving the body back out to the lot with the LJ. I put an unmounted tire around the stinger to cushion the rocker.

Look, it's levitating.

Ready for some cuttin'

We'll see what kind of goodies I can come up with tomorrow at the swapmeet.

 

[Loanranger]

Well, I didn't get much, but the stuff I did get was stuff I needed, so that's always good.

I ended up finding a box of samurai transfercase parts, enough to put the two together I got sitting here. I also picked up another shifter, even though I'm gonna try and make my own twin stick here soon. And I found a 2" socket, 3/4 drive for $5.


So after the swapmeet, I came home and started dissasembling the front axle. I scored two good locking hubs, two sami front shafts with good birfs, and all the knuckle and spindle parts, including two more caliper brackets for a buddies rear disc conversion. I got all the parts torn down and on the shelf, and started trimming all the misc brackets off the frame with the plasma. I also pulled the fuel tank, front bumper, fuel and brake lines, and well, everything else.. I left the rear axle in for now, bolts are loose, just need to pull them, I also left the old motor mounts. We'll see if they're in the right place before I go cutting them off. If they are, they'll get reinforced, and the motor mounts will essentially bolt up like stock at the frame side.

So here's some pics of tonights progress, I got the front ground down, the back is still just plasma slag that needs to be ground flat. I'll get the whole topside cleaned up, then flip the frame and do the bottom side.

100 lbs of brackets laying on the floor..

The half built homebrew bumper, front axle housing and springs, and the stock tires that I'm gonna slow roast off the LJ...

The pile of 3 transfer cases that will become 2.

One of the parts that needed replacing, the high/low fork

I'm sure that sounded good as the rig lurched to a stop.. A not so gentle reminder that your should have checked you fluid MANY miles ago..

That's it for tonight folks, I'll get more done tomorrow night and update y'all.

As a teaser, there may be axles involved.

 

[Loanranger]

Well any progress is good progress. I got the frame finished up tonight, other than a couple brackets that may or may not stay, and a couple crossmembers that will be replaced only after lengthening the frame in front, and welding the new crossmembers in.

This will be cut out after the frame is extended, and a new front crossmember welded in, to keep the frame square.

This is one side of the old trans crossmember, it will probably just get cut flush and capped, to keep from getting into that body pedestal.

This is the back corners, it will get cut flush with the frame.

Also hammered out a couple spots like this, they will get reinforced later on..

And now for the good stuff.
103" wheelbase, which is just a start, I'd like to keep it under 100", but we'll see.

It's sitting a little low at 18"

The LJ sits right about 19" to 20" depending on tire pressure, with the extra width and wheelbase, I would like to get at least 22"-24" belly height out of it, cause this things gonna see some rocks.
The tires sitting there are the 35s too, so I'll be getting another inch or so with the 37-38s.

Front

Rear

I'm getting to where I need to make up my mind on what axles I'm gonna run. That and hurry up and jump the mazda through the trailer, so I can pull the motor and trans for mock up.

 

[organic]

Loanranger, looks like another awesome build. I gotta be honest, I wish the mazda had the 3.0 in it. But, I good running fi2.3 with a M50d and like you said a couple of transfers behind, this thing is definately gonna be wicked! Can't wait to see what axles your gonna use.